Do you regret anything?

[DWS]

no regrets.....once I make a decision, it's time to move forward

 

[bhop]

No regrets here.

edit: Oh, just thought of something, I regret not buying the Sigma 70-200 HSM lens that KEH had on their site for ~$475 before someone else snatched it up.

 

[anubis404]

My only regret is that hobbies are catered too much to rich people and I can't get a dSLR (I only have a superzoom). But by buying a superzoom and learning with it and exploring the forum here, at least I know exactly what I want when I can go the dSLR route and won't waste money on too less of a body and kit lenses.

Nikon D70s are going for dirt cheap now, and D50s even cheaper. Like <$250.

My superzoom has a lot more reach in the lens than any dSLR body without a lens no matter how cheap you can get it used

The keep the superzoom around for telephoto shots.

 

[blash]

I, for one, regret not getting into film sooner. Film is so much more fun than digital, and my F100 makes my D80 look like a toy.

I regret going to Israel without having seriously learned photography first - I could have come back with so many more awesome photos than just the handful I had. Although I'm glad I went to Israel with a D80 (1700 photos, even trimmed down there's no way I would've processed hundreds of exposures of film), I still wish I had a F100 then with a few rolls of Velvia to better capture a lot of Israel's natural beauty.

I regret getting my 55-200 - $250 down the drain on a lens I virtually never used. I bought it because the guy who got me interested in photography was an urban photographer who needed it to pull off shots of people without them realizing; and it turned out that it wasn't for me. I threw it in my camera bag for Israel and out of the 1700+ shots in there, I used that lens for maybe 20 of them.

I regret spending $60 on the 28-80 Tamron trash lens that I got with my F100 since I only had a 50mm at the time.

I do not regret going Nikon - the glass may be expensive but a) pretty much all of it is some of the best on the planet, and b) it's nice and flexible, for the most part, between camera bodies.

I would rather do without and save longer than accept the #2 on the list... becuase to me, I am well worth it.

I agree 100% - nothing, absolutely nothing, beats the #1 on the list. I'd rather save for years for the best of the best of the best than to get a piece of crap tomorrow.

 

[Crazydad]

At first I had no regrets on buying my D60. Got it for our Disney trip and the light weight and VR lens were great.

As I got more into photography, in particular sports, I began to regret my choice. Mainly due to the autofocus sensor. With the action shots, it was hard to keep the players in the focus point and consequently the players were a little out of focus on some shots. I also found myself wishing I didn't have to get AF-S lenses.

But now I realize the limitations of the autofocus are helping me by forcing me to learn how to anticipate the shot and switch to manual focus when needed. As far as having to get AF-S lenses, budget constraints have not enabled me to get any new ones anyway. Plus, Nikon now has a 50mm and 35mm AF-S, so when I can get a prime, they have a couple that will work.

The D60 has proven to be a great starter camera and I do not regret my choice there. That being said, I am trying to save up for a D300 (or D400 if it is out when I finally have the money) for the bigger body, CMOS sensor, focus system, and controls that allow adjusting things like ISO, metering and focus modes, etc. without having to go into the menus. Not that big of a deal to do, but since I now shoot most shots in manual, having controls to adjust without going through the menus would be nice.

 

[NickJ]

I regret every single bit of russian/soviet gear that I've bought - that's a couple of medium format cameras and a tilt-shift lens. They never produced great quality results for me.

I also regret going over this icy river a few years back to take photos with my D70... it turned out the ice wasn't strong enough! Luckily it wasn't deep at all and I managed to get out of it quickly and change in the car, but the camera refused to work with me any more.

Do you have any regrets about the gear you have purchased, or the company you bought in to?

I'll start with myself. I somewhat regret going Nikon, because they do not make an F4 70-200 zoom (aside from the MF one). I was at a trade show today, looking at an 80-200 AF-D F2.8, the guy next to me was looking at a Canon 70-200 F4. My price was $675, and his was $450. I don't really need the 2.8 aperture, and the small size of the F4 is a huge plus. I wish I didn't have to spend so much to get an 80-200.

So, what are your regrets, if any?

 

[rufus5150]

I regret getting a RebelXTi, but only recently.

We bought it as an upgrade to a point and shoot. When we bought it, I didn't know how to spell DSLR or even what it meant. I just wanted an upgrade from our 2.0MP point and shoot that sometimes had 2-3 second shutter lag.

If I were only taking the occasional picture, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

It rubs my pinky wrong when I hold it for extended periods. It tends to underexpose by a 1/3rd of a stop, and if I compensate in-camera, at which point a 1/3rd stop adjustment seems like it went way, way too far (easily controlled with post, though.) I don't like the fact ISO is only adjustable in full stops, it's high ISO performance leaves something to be desired. The viewfinder feels cramped and dark. In the last 3 months, I've realized that I am, now and again but not always, constrained by the camera just a little bit. I sometimes wish the salesman had at least tried to upsell us to the 40D.

But it is what it is. When the shutter dies, I'll get a new camera. It's sufficient for now, but I have a couple regrets. I do regret I didn't know what I was getting into, though.

 

[goodoneian]

i kind of regretted upgrading my body to a d300 before investing in better lenses, but got over that pretty quick once i realized that light has more effect on image quality rather than my body/glass

 

[In2daBlue]

I regret that my husband does not understand the need to spend $2000 on a nice piece of glass!

That is the funniest response on the thread. Go luck with that one.

 

[shivaswrath]

i regret not buying the 14-24mm Nikkor when it dropped to $1469; now with it at $200 more than that for NO reason, I'm waiting for the drop. . .

 

[skieur]

Yes, I have had bad luck with flash units and have gone through them like consumable flash bulbs from way back when.

skieur

 

[LuckySo-n-So]

After finding this board after I bought my Nikon D40, I thought I had plenty of regrets...shoulda got the D60...shoulda got the D90...etc. etc.

However, after looking at the cost of these rigs (with NO glass), I realized I made the right decision.

I have a good camera, two "ok" lenses for just walking about(18-55 & 55-200 kit lenses), one pretty good zoom lens for shooting sporting events (Sigma 70-300), and 1 awesome lens for portraits/low light (Nikkor 50mm 1.8).

Throw in 3 books, a remote control, and a few other accessories, I'm only into this thing for $1000.

With the D90, that's at least $1500 or more. Now all I need is that SB-600.

 

[milavidal]

buying the kit lens D80+18-135...I like the zoom range but boy, not really great quality...images aren't really the sharpest around...

 

[Montana]

I have no regrets thus far. I started with an XTi kit, practiced, studied, and decided what I like. Always researched every lens purchase from the kit to the 600 f/4 IS purchase last week.

I did have a little dissapointment with the kit 28-135 w/ my 40D, but for the price it was bundled with the body, I would not consider it a regret at all.

 

[JerryPH]

People should not have regrets starting out on a lower end dSLR or even a kit lens. They are great and by the time they know what they are doing, they are ready to make a more educated decision. I would say that basically, most people who are just starting out are not even able to fully use what they have... much less be able to exploit a mid-high end dSLR.

In other words, its ok to start small.